Villanova returns to action on Monday, Dec. 29, with a road game at DePaul. The Wildcats enter play riding an eight-game winning streak with a 10-2 overall record and a 3-0 conference mark, while the Blue Demons are 3-11 on the year and 0-3 in league play. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m., eastern time at Wintrust Arena.
Monday's game will be the 35
th all-time meeting between the two teams. DePaul leads the all-time series by a 20-14 count, but Villanova has won eight in a row over the Blue Demons.
Due to end of the semester final exams and the Christmas holiday, Villanova is in a stretch of playing just two games in a 22-day span. After defeating Saint Joseph's on Dec. 7, the Wildcats didn't play until hosting Seton Hall on Dec. 19 and St. John's on Dec. 22. Villanova will be off for seven days, before playing at DePaul.
It will be a high school reunion for Villanova sophomore guard
Jasmine Bascoe and DePaul junior guard Sumer Lee when Villanova and DePaul meet on Monday night in Chicago. The duo, who both wear number 11, were high school teammates at King's Christian in Toronto. Bascoe currently leads Villanova in scoring (18.4 ppg.) and assists (53) , while Lee has played in 14 games and has scored 22 points.
For the third time this season, Villanova placed five players in double figures in an 85-48 win over St. John's on Dec. 22. The five included Bascoe (21),
Ryanne Allen (13),
Kelsey Joens (12),
Brynn McCurry (10) and
Denae Carter (10). The Wildcats also had five double figure scorers against James Madison and Temple.
Allen has been dialed in from three-point range in the last two games where she is 8-of-12 from behind the arc. In 21 minutes of action versus Seton Hall on Dec. 19, Allen tied her career-high with 19 points on 7-of-11 shooting, including a 5-of-7 effort from three-point range. The five triples also tie a career-best effort. In her next outing against St. John's, she was 5-of-7 from the field and 3-of-5 from downtown. Allen is currently averaging 8.5 points per game, and she is shooting .478 from behind the arc (22-of-46). The 22 threes rank second on the team.
Following the trip to Chicago, Villanova returns home to host Creighton on New Year's Day. Tip-off is set for noon.
